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09 Jan 2009 Good Samaritan Hospital needs help [SIBC News] A local chief is urging provincial and national authorities and Guadalcanal Plains Palm Oil Limited (as well as other companies operating in the area) to assist the Good Samaritan Hospital at Tetere. The health center offers outpatient services for a lot of people in the area, many of them workers of the palm oil company. Some of the hospital's main needs are:
* Webmaster's note: The hospital may also need a larger power generator if it has not already received one in the past year. South Pacific Medical Projects planned to install donated X-ray equipment at the Good Samaritan Hospital in February 2008. However, the plan failed because the hospital's generator was not powerful enough. It could just barely handle the lighting but could not power a small sterilizer, let alone X-ray equipment. 
12 Jan 2009 Atoifi Hospital to get refurbished generator [PFnet News, Taranaki Daily News] Atoifi Hospital's hydro power generator was damaged by lightning some 15 years ago. David Nunn, a volunteer from New Zealand, dismantled it last year and shipped it back to New Zealand to repair it. The repairs are completed and the generator will be returned soon. There is still some work ahead, as the dam needs fixing and reinstalling the heavy item will not be easy. Once everything is back in place, the generator will supply power for the hospital's life support equipment, lights, refrigerators and fresh water supply system. Together with the generator, medical equipment and supplies will be shipped to the hospital in Malaita Province.
16 Jan 2009 RAMSI helps repair Yandina Clinic [SIBC News] 15 officers from the Regional Assistance Mission to Solomon Islands (RAMSI) have helped repair Yandina Clinic in the Russell Islands, Central Province, in the past week. Among other things, they replaced the window screens and fixed the communication unit which is now up and running again. The clinic has been deteriorating since Russell Islands Plantation Estate Limited stopped operating in 2004.
16 Jan 2009 Diabetes in Solomon Islands [Solomon Star] In 2007, more than 3,000 diabetes cases were recorded in Solomon Islands. A high number of them is type two diabetes.
16 Jan 2009 Ongoing shortage of medical supplies [Solomon Star] There is an ongoing critical shortage of drugs in almost all hospitals and clinics in the country. The National Medical Store has run out of Septrin and needles and will run out of Panadol soon. An emergency shipment is expected to arrive by plane next week, but of course it will not cover all needs.
22 Jan 2009 Church team to repair Atoifi Hospital [Solomon Star] A "Fly and Build" team from Morley Seventh-day Adventist Church in Western Australia will replace Atoifi Hospital's roof in August this year. Funds permitting, the whole building will be rebuilt.
23 Jan 2009 Condom shortage [Solomon Star] Solomon Islands seems to have run almost completely out of condoms. The next regular shipment is scheduled for June, however, an emergency shipment of 200,000 condoms is expected to arrive by plane from Fiji next week and another delivery of 1,000,000 condoms should arrive by ship some four weeks later. There were concerns that the shortage might lead to increased spreading of HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases.
03 Feb 2009 Japan will fund reconstruction of Gizo Hospital [Solomon Star] Later this year, Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) will provide SBD 6.2 million for the reconstruction of Gizo Hospital in Western Province, which was badly damaged by the tsunami in 2007. A new hospital complex will be built opposite the present hospital and comprise male and female wards, a maternity ward, a delivery department, an operation unit, a laboratory, and an administrative department. Various medical equipment will also be provided. Furthermore, a dam will be built in front of the existing hospital to protect it from being flooded by the sea.
04 Feb 2009 NRH without consultant anesthetist [Solomon Star] The National Referral Hospital in Honiara is without a consultant anesthetist after the only anesthetist resigned. Solomon Islands has two more local anesthetists, but one of them is on leave and the other is undergoing studies in Melbourne, Australia. The hospital currently has three senior registrars who can handle regular cases but not really complex ones.
08 Feb 2009 New on our web site A new book on our books page: Where There Is No Doctor: a village health care handbook by David Werner with Carol Thuman and Jane Maxwell. The book was recommended by a visitor of our web site. Thank you!
16 Feb 2009 Provision of wheelchairs in Solomon Islands [SIBC News, Motivation Australia] A team from Motivation Australia, in cooperation with the Ministry of Health, has conducted a two week training course for members of the Community Based Rehabilitation (CBR) Unit to provide them with the necessary skills to safely and effectively provide wheelchairs. Motivation has furnished 45 wheelchairs to start the program and is seeking funds to supply more. Part of the program is funded by the Planet Wheeler Foundation.
18 Feb 2009 Health care waste management policy launched [Solomon Star] The Ministry of Health has launched a countrywide health care waste management policy. All wastes from hospitals and clinics have to be properly collected, treated and disposed of (e.g. buried) in a safe manner.
19 Feb 2009 Malu'u power problems [Solomon Star] Disgruntled landowners have again blocked the Manakwai hydro power station supplying Malu'u in northern Malaita last Saturday. Solomon Islands Electricity Authority (SIEA) says it is supplying Malu'u with power from a diesel generator until the matter regarding royalty payments is resolved. Since Malu'u Health Center's only standby diesel generator has broken down, a continued complete power failure will lead to the loss of drugs which need cooling.
25 Feb 2009 No SkyAirWorld flights [RA News] SkyAirWorld has temporarily ceased all flights between Brisbane and Honiara for an indefinite period.
25 Feb 2009 Service at Gizo Hospital [Solomon Star] After the tsunami in 2007, Gizo Hospital was able to offer limited service only but is now on the way to restoring the previous service level.
25 Feb 2009 Marogu Clinic without roof [SIBC News] Strong winds have blown away the roof of Marogu Clinic on the South coast of Makira last month. Authorities will visit the clinic this week to assess the damage.
02 Mar 2009 Help from the USA [Solomon Star] United States of America ambassador to Solomon Islands Leslie Rowe announced the visit of a US ship with medical and engineering teams later this year. The visit is part of the Pacific Partnership 2009 campaign. The medical teams will provide health, dental and veterinary care and engineering teams will help improve health and other infrastructures in rural areas. A similar visit took place in August 2007. 27 Mar 2009 Update: The teams are expected to arrive aboard the USS Dubuque in August. 06 May 2009 Update: USS Dubuque will not participate in the mission because one of her sailors was confirmed to be infected with the novel influenza A (H1N1) virus (swine flu). Other means of transport will be used to bring in the teams. 22 May 2009 Update: USNS Richard E. Byrd will be used to carry out the mission.
05 Mar 2009 Electric power for Aola Clinic [SIBC News] Solar electric panels and a biodiesel generator have been installed at Aola Area Health Center on the North coast of eastern Guadalcanal. The equipment, worth more than SBD 600,000, was funded by the Ministry of Energy, Mines and Rural Electrification.
10 Mar 2009 New clinic on Weathercoast [Solomon Star] Koloura village on the Weathercoast (South coast) of Guadalcanal has a new clinic and staff house. Solar panels and a two-way radio will be added soon. The total cost of SBD 250,000 was funded by Japan's Grassroots and Human Security Project.
11 Mar 2009 Staff houses for Choiseul clinics [Solomon Star] Japan will fund SBD 597,000 for the construction of staff houses at five different clinics in Choiseul Province.
13 Mar 2009 Donation from UNICEF [Solomon Star] The Ministry of Health has received the following donations worth SBD 1.5 million from UNICEF
Funds for the donation were provided by Japan as part of its USD 8 million support to strengthen cold chain systems with regard to pandemic avian influenza preparedness in 17 countries.
13 Mar 2009 Support from St. John Ambulance [Solomon Times] Two officials from St. John Ambulance are currently visiting Solomon Islands to establish contacts with the government and the National Referral Hospital in Honiara. They are assessing the hospital's needs regarding emergency services and looking for ways to help. The donation of an ambulance is one of the things being looked at.
16 Mar 2009 Journal article of interest Cooperation, Integration, and Long-term Commitment: What
Solomon Islanders and Development Workers Say About Health
Sector Aid.
An abstract is available on PubMed. Search for PMID 19124323.
18 Mar 2009 More Cuban doctors to arrive [Solomon Star] Eight more Cuban doctors will finally arrive in Solomon Islands this Friday. Some of them will join their two colleagues already working at the National Referral Hospital in Honiara and some will be working at provincial hospitals. 23 March 2009 Update: Seven doctors arrived last night, another will come later this year. Four of the doctors will be posted to the provinces at the end of April, three will work at NRH in Honiara. The doctors are expected to stay for five years.
19 Mar 2009 Taiwan Health Center activities [Solomon Star] Two doctors and a nurse at the Taiwan Health Center on the National Referral Hospital campus will be engaged in the following activities in 2009:
19 Mar 2009 Support from Israel [SIBC News] The Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in cooperation with the Jewish Community in Australia and Insulin for Life, has donated 18 cartons of syringes to the Diabetes Center at the National Referral Hospital in Honiara.
20 Mar 2009 Upcoming visits of Taiwan health teams [Solomon Star] A medical mobile team from Taiwan's Kaohsiung Medical Hospital will arrive in April and offer medical services in recently flooded areas in Guadalcanal as well as in parts of Malaita. Another medical team from the same hospital will conduct a campaign against hookworm in May. The team will visit schools around Honiara and other parts of Guadalcanal. If successful, the project could be extended to other provinces.
20 Mar 2009 Diplomas in Child Health for local doctors [Solomon Star] Dr Carol Titiulu, Dr Fletcher Kakai (both working at NRH) and Dr Zotei Ralte (working at Helena Goldie Hospital) will receive their post-graduate diplomas in Child Health today after having completed their one year online study offered by the Children's Hospital at Westmead and the University of Sydney in Australia. Another four doctors and a number of nurses are currently enrolled in the same course.
21 Mar 2009 Deaths at NRH [Solomon Star] The National Referral Hospital in Honiara recorded 11,000 admissions last year, 55% of them were children. 2.7% of all patients admitted died, again, half of them (148) were children.
23 Mar 2009 Honiara City Clinics closed [SIBC News] All eight Honiara City Clinics are currently closed because their water supply was disconnected by the Solomon Islands Water Authority (SIWA) last Wednesday. SIWA had announced well in advance in the print media that all customers who are not paying their bills would be disconnected. The outstanding bills for the City Clinics amount to about SBD 212,000.
24 Mar 2009 TB cases in 2008 [SIBC News] The TB control unit recorded 378 TB cases in the country in 2008 (i.e. about 74 cases per 100,000). The highest number of TB cases (more than 100) was recorded in Malaita Province, most of them along the eastern coast. The national TB program aims to half the number of TB cases and deaths by 2010.
24 Mar 2009 US medical team to visit again [Solomon Star] A medical team from the Loloma Foundation will visit Solomon Islands again to provide medical and surgical care. Their first visit took place in May last year, this time they will arrive in September and complement the Pacific Partnership mission in August. The team, comprising 20 doctors, will visit the following places:
They will bring along medical supplies for the clinics and hospitals they will visit as well as the National Referral Hospital in Honiara.
25 Mar 2009 Honiara City Clinics open again [Solomon Times] Today, Honiara City Clinics are being reconnected to the water supply again after the outstanding water bills have been paid yesterday. Some clinics are already open again, but others remain closed because they have run out of child vaccines. One of the clinics, White River Clinic, is said to have been open during the water supply interruption.
30 Mar 2009 Medical officers get online research training [Solomon Star] 20 medical officers completed an one-week online research training at the Solomon Islands College for Higher Education (SICHE) Nursing School in Honiara. The National HINARI Training Research Course for Health was conducted by Lenny Rhine from the Librarians without Borders® and funded by WHO and the Solomon Islands Government. Unfortunately, only a few hospitals and clinics in Solomon Islands have Internet access.
31 Mar 2009 Medical team visits Shortland Islands [Solomon Star] A medical team from Gizo Hospital, led by Western Province Health Director Dr Günter Kittel, has visited all nine health posts on the Shortland Islands in the past two weeks. The team noticed a serious lack of health facilities, instruments, staff, and medicines. Much to the joy of the villagers, the team members performed vaccinations and saw hundreds of patients. The dental doctor in particular was kept very busy as many people had suffered from toothaches for months. It seems to have been the first medical visit since April 2007. The team got into a bad storm on the way from Fauro to Taro at the end of the trip, but, thanks to the experienced driver, they all made it back safely.
04 Apr 2009 Increasing tooth decay among children [Solomon Star] On the average, about 300 children are checked at the dental center in Honiara each month. Over the past years, an increase in tooth decay and other dental problems has been observed in children aged 4 years and older. This is attributed to insufficient dental care and the increasing consumption of sweets and junk food.
07 Apr 2009 NRH not ready for mammography equipment [Solomon Star] With support from other donors, the Government House First Lady's Charity Fund intended to buy a mammography unit for the National Referral Hospital in Honiara, however, it turned out that nobody at NRH would be able to operate it. Therefore, it was decided to use the available funds to set up a small cancer research unit on the hospital campus. It is not clear whether personnel is being trained for this kind of work. Webmaster's note: Perhaps some other organization could have sponsored the training of personnel needed to operate a mammography unit? Any takers?
07 Apr 2009 Eye team performs emergency cesarean [Solomon Star] In the past two weeks, a team of four Solomon Islands ophthalmologists saw about 500 eye patients, provided glasses and performed more than 120 cataract surgeries on patients aged from 5 to 93 years in Honiara and Buala (Isabel Province). They also did an emergency cesarean section at Buala Hospital, which had been without a doctor for about three months. The mother and her baby boy are both well and happy. The outreach tour was organized by the Fred Hollows Foundation and funded by auctioning the broken arm cast of New Zealand's Prime Minister John Key. He had broken his arm when he accidentally fell at the Chinese New Year celebration in Auckland. After the cast was signed by several leaders at the Pacific Islands Forum, RAMSI officers in Honiara suggested to auction the cast for charity. John Key agreed and selected the Fred Hollows Foundation to receive the funds. An NZ businessman paid NZD 18,500 for the cast, enough to pay for the necessary supplies and the team's flights and accommodation in Solomon Islands for this and a second visit planned for June this year.
08 Apr 2009 No more children's vaccines at Kirakira Hospital [Solomon Star] Kirakira Hospital (Makira Ulawa Province) has completely run out of children's vaccines.
09 Apr 2009 Kilu'ufi nurse visits Australian hospital [Solomon Star] Nevaline Gamasi, a Nurse Educator at Kilu'ufi Hospital (Malaita Province), has recently done a five-week attachment with Port Macquarie Base Hospital, New South Wales, Australia, to learn more about the Australian way to provide health service. The visit was sponsored by New South Wales Rotary Clubs.
15 Apr 2009 West Honiara clinics affected by heavy rainfall [Solomon Star] Heavy rainfall over the weekend and damaged pipes forced Solomon Islands Water Authority to cut the water supply to West Honiara. This affected Rove Clinic which could deliver limited service only. White River Clinic was also affected by the cut, but had to be closed altogether because rain water had been flowing into the clinic damaging equipment and medicines. The clinic is currently being cleaned up.
20 Apr 2009 Sa'a Clinic renovated [Solomon Star] Sa'a Clinic on the tip of South Malaita was handed back to the community last Friday after it has been renovated and expanded. Funds were supplied by the Australian Community Support Program (CSP). A staff house project should start soon.
20 Apr 2009 Cleanup at Gizo Hospital [Solomon Star] Gizo Hospital currently gets a thorough cleanup, the first since a tsunami hit Gizo in 2007. After all hospital staff have been voluntarily engaged in cleaning up around the hospital every Monday afternoon for the past two months, a professional cleanup campaign was started last Tuesday. Dozens of truckloads of rubbish have been collected and carried away for proper disposal. Acting Western Province Health Director Dr Günter Kittel hopes the campaign will continue until April 24 "to make the hospital area look like a garden of flowers again".
20 Apr 2009 Medical team from Taiwan arrived [Solomon Star] As announced earlier, a medical team from Taiwan comprised of six doctors, one pharmacist, two professional nurses and an assistant has arrived in Solomon Islands on Saturday. Together with two local doctors and three colleagues from the Taiwan Health Center at NRH they will provide free medical services at several places in Guadalcanal and two places in Malaita. They will return to Taiwan on May 1. 29 Apr 2009 Addendum [Solomon Star, SIBC News]: The most common problems found were tooth decay and high blood pressure, with betel nut chewing being one of the major contributing factors to tooth decay. The most common problem found among children in the Burns Creek area (east of Honiara) was malnutrition. A new computer printer and medical drugs were donated to the Good Samaritan Hospital at Tetere. The team leader hopes more local doctors will participate in future tours, so that experience and knowledge can be shared. Furthermore, he suggests local doctors should organize more tours in rural areas between visits of medical teams from Taiwan instead of concentrating on working almost exclusively in Honiara.
01 May 2009 Australian Interplast team at NRH [Solomon Star] An Interplast team from Australia consisting of two surgeons, an anesthetist and three nurses is currently working at the National Referral Hospital in Honiara. They started working on April 27 and have already attended to more than 90 patients. They will stay in Honiara for another week.
06 May 2009 Women donate nebulizers to NRH [Solomon Star] Ladies Frangipani Night, assisted by individual women and female members of other organizations, donated two new nebulizers to the casualty and outpatient ward at the National Referral Hospital in Honiara. So far, there was only one nebulizer to treat asthmatic patients and if two patients suffered from an attack at the same time only one could be treated. This had resulted in the death of several patients in the past. Ladies Frangipani Night was initiated in 2000 and has helped donate medical equipment to hospitals and clinics throughout the country.
07 May 2009 Midwives training at Gizo Hospital [Solomon Star] So far, 24 midwives have been trained at Gizo Hospital and more will follow. It is intended to have midwives working not only at the hospital and Area Health Centers but also at Rural Health Clinics. The Director of Nursing at Gizo Hospital, Charles Sigoto, is the first male midwife in Solomon Islands.
12 May 2009 Fighting malaria in Solomon Islands [Solomon Star] The next program to reduce and eventually eradicate malaria will be started in Isabel Province, the province with the lowest malaria incidence rate in Solomon Islands (265 cases in 2007 and 144 in 2008). The first such program was started in Temotu Province in November 2008. If all goes well, Temotu Province could be free of malaria by 2014. The number of malaria cases per 1,000 people in Solomon Islands has dropped from about 130 in 2007 to less than 90 in 2008.
13 May 2009 New nurses [Solomon Star] 48 new nurses (9 of them male) have received their certificates of registration yesterday, after completing two years of practical training at clinics and hospitals in the country. They have also received their letters of posting and will start working at the National Referral Hospital in Honiara, Honiara City Clinics and clinics and hospitals in the provinces soon. Most of the nurses have been trained at Atoifi Adventist College of Nursing in Malaita and the Solomon Islands College of Higher Education (SICHE) Nursing School in Honiara.
14 May 2009 STI in Solomon Islands [Solomon Star] According to health statistics for 2008, Honiara City has the highest number of sexually transmitted infections, followed by Temotu and Renbel provinces. Nine out of 10 Solomon Islanders have heard of HIV and AIDS, about 6 of 10 know that reliable use of condoms can prevent the spread of HIV and 8 to 9 of 10 are aware that having only one sex partner can reduce the possibility of contracting HIV.
19 May 2009 Fake SBD 50 notes still circulating [Solomon Star] Some counterfeit SBD 50 notes were recently found in Honiara. The genuine notes carry a hologram and a silver metal thread. 26 May 2009 Update: The Central Bank of Solomon Islands is warning the public to check the security features on notes (particularly SBD 50 and SBD 100 ones) before accepting them. The fakes may be encountered everywhere, not only in Honiara.
22 May 2009 Parasite screening program [SIBC News, Solomon Star] As announced earlier, a four member medical team from Taiwan is currently in the country to screen mostly elementary and junior high school students for parasite infections. Together with staff from the Taiwan Health Center at the National Referral Hospital in Honiara they visit schools in Guadalcanal Province. So far, they have found Entamoeba Coli and hookworm. The National Referral Hospital in Honiara has recorded an increasing number of cases of anemia and hookworm could be a possible cause. The team will return to Taiwan on May 31.
22 May 2009 Orthopedic Outreach team in Honiara [Solomon Star] A four member Orthopedic Outreach team from Sydney, Australia, is currently working at the National Referral Hospital in Honiara. They expect to see some 100 patients and operate on about 25 of them. They were asked for assistance by local orthopedist Dr Patrick Houasia. The team will leave on May 26.
26 May 2009 HIV/AIDS in Solomon Islands [Solomon Star] Solomon Islands still has 12 confirmed HIV/AIDS cases, eight women and four men. Five of the patients have died. HIV testing is available at 12 health facilities in the country. WHO estimates there could be 350 cases in 2010.
31 May 2009 Power problems [Solomon Star] According to a letter to the editor of Solomon Star, Malu'u in North Malaita is without power since about mid-April 2009. Neither the hydro power plant nor the diesel generator seem to be operational. Medications needing to be kept cool have been lost. See earlier news item. Honiara continues to suffer from power cuts caused by load shedding. Gizo (Western Province) and Auki (Malaita Province) also suffer from power interruptions.
02 Jun 2009 Scholarships for doctors [Solomon Star] Kaohsiung University Hospital, the National Referral Hospital's sister hospital in Taiwan, is offering two post graduate scholarships for local doctors.
03 Jun 2009 Donation for Buala Hospital [Solomon Star] The Aspen Medical team has donated medical equipment and supplies worth more than SBD 5,000 to Buala Hospital (Isabel Province). The donation included stethoscopes, blood pressure meters, thermometers, medical gloves, bandages and essential medicines. Later, members of the team will visit Buala Hospital and offer free medical services. The hospital has been without a doctor since January this year. Aspen Medical provides medical care for the international Participating Police Force (PPF), which is part of the Regional Assistance Mission to Solomon Islands (RAMSI).
05 Jun 2009 NRH soon without speech therapist [Solomon Star] The only speech therapist in the country, a Japanese volunteer, will leave Solomon Islands by mid-June, after having been here for two years. She has been working in the Physiotherapy Department at the National Referral Hospital in Honiara. She also visited patients, who could not come to the hospital, in communities near Honiara. She attended to more than 200 patients, half of them children. Another Japanese speech therapist volunteer is expected to arrive next January. So far, Solomon Islands does not have a local speech therapist.
15 Jun 2009 First suspected swine flu case in Solomon Islands [Solomon Star, SIBC News] A local, who reportedly came back from Melbourne, Australia, last week, is suspected of carrying the swine flu virus and currently quarantined at the National Referral Hospital in Honiara. He was suffering from severe headache, fever, vomiting and diarrhea. The presence of influenza A virus was confirmed but further analysis in Australia will show whether it is the novel A (H1N1) virus. Results are expected to be available in a week or two. Meanwhile, the patient is reported to be recovering.
18 Jun 2009 Gizo Hospital wharf rehabilitation completed [SIBC News] The rehabilitation of the main wharf and the hospital wharf in Gizo is almost completed, thanks to the Japanese government's funding support of about SBD 1,200,000. The wharfs were damaged by the tsunami in 2007.
19 Jun 2009 End of power problems in Malu'u? [SIBC News, Solomon Star] It looks like the landowners and the provincial and the national governments finally came to an agreement and, hopefully, the hydro power station at Malu'u (North Malaita) will be operational again soon. See earlier news item. At this time, a standby generator is reportedly supplying power for 12 hours a day, primarily for the Malu'u Health Center.
19 Jun 2009 Blood bank is looking for donors [Solomon Star] The blood bank at the National Referral Hospital is visiting government and private sector offices looking for blood donors, because the stock is only about half of what it should be (100 units). Schools usually provide the most donors but they are on holidays. The blood bank is notoriously short of blood. See earlier news item.
21 Jun 2009 Reconstruction of Gizo Hospital [SIBC News] The reconstruction of Gizo Hospital is expected to start in December this year.
23 Jun 2009 Swine flu test negative [SIBC News] Test results from Australia showed that the quarantined local patient is not carrying the novel A (H1N1) virus. Meanwhile, an expatriate patient is currently being quarantined at his residence in Honiara and waiting for the test results from Australia.
24 Jun 2009 Gizo health workers on strike [SIBC News] More than 200 health workers (nurses, seconded staff and employees of Health and Medical Services) at Gizo Hospital (Western Province) are currently on strike, because they have never received some form of assistance either in material or in cash to rehabilitate their lives for losses endured as a result of the tsunami disaster in 2007. As of today, the nurses dropped the early and late shifts and work at the outpatient department from 7am to 3pm exclusively, outside these hours they only attend to emergencies. If there is no official response until Saturday, they intend to stop working altogether except for emergency cases.
25 Jun 2009 US team helps Marovo Lagoon area [Solomon Star] During the past two weeks, a US medical team, comprised of three doctors, five nurses, two pharmacists and a dentist, provided free medical services to more than 800 people in the Marovo Lagoon area (Western Province). They worked at Seghe Hospital and visited eight villages. Furthermore, the installation of a photovoltaic system at Seghe Hospital was completed. The system, installation of which began last year, will provide 240V 3-phase power for the hospital. The team saw and treated patients with tooth decay, wounds, diabetes, hypertension, respiratory problems, viral and red eye infections and also attended to a crocodile bite. The team's first visit took place last November and they intend to come back again in November this year and bring along more supplies and equipment for the hospital. Two such trips per year are planned in the future.
29 Jun 2009 Treated mosquito nets out of stock [Solomon Star] Treated mosquito nets are out of stock in Solomon Islands since last year, but the previously distributed treated nets are still effective. Eventually, 400,000 long lasting insecticide treated nets will be procured under the Global Fund once agreements have been signed and all terms have been met.
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